Leveraging Tools, Texts, and Talking in My Teaching

  

Designing classroom activities to support practices beyond the screen involves creating opportunities for students to engage in learning experiences that are not limited to digital platforms, fostering skills and competencies that extend into the real, modern-day world. This approach emphasizes hands-on, interactive, and collaborative learning that can complement digital literacies. As a director of a childcare center I understand that one of the key aspects of engaging students in meaningful conversations around new literacies practices is to encourage reflection on how these practices are used in real-world contexts. This could involve discussions about how digital tools interact with face-to-face communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving. However, in my case my students are my employees. My staff must understand the material they are exposing the children to, what perspectives and thoughts could be provoked and what skills will be taught from this material. The resources and technology that my staff utilizes needs to be purposeful and develop other skills such as empathy and cultural awareness.

To ensure that my teachers at the center navigate new literacies in a purposeful and informed manner, it is important to help them develop a deeper understanding of the context in which technology is used. For instance, providing them with real-world examples of how digital tools have impacted society—whether positively or negatively—can foster critical thinking. Additionally, involving the teachers in creating their own digital content or curating information empowers them to be active participants.

When designing activities beyond the screen, equity and engagement are crucial considerations. My employees have varied levels of access to technology and various levels of comfort with digital tools, so it is important that I to create opportunities for all staff members to learn the technology and allow for hybrid classroom activities, so it balances digital activities with offline tasks or offering alternative ways to teach and interact. It is also essential that I recognize that some of my staff members come from diverse backgrounds and have different experiences with technology. To ensure equity, I might need to differentiate tasks and support their varying levels of digital fluency.

Harnessing mobile learning for early literacy development offers many opportunities for enhancing young children's language and literacy skills. While mobile devices are often associated with older students, there are numerous ways to use them strategically for young learners. As the director in an early childhood education organization, a professional development activity for staff could focus on how to integrate analog and digital tools to enhance early literacy development. This activity would encourage teachers to create a balanced, effective approach that combines traditional learning methods with modern technology, all while keeping the needs of young learners in mind.

The activity, titled focuses on how early childhood educators can thoughtfully incorporate both non-digital and digital tools to support early literacy development in their classrooms. This will involve understanding the principles of early literacy, exploring both types of tools, and collaboratively designing a lesson plan that blends these elements to achieve a complex learning goal—fostering literacy skills through a combination of hands-on activities and digital engagement.

I would start with a group discussion in which staff reflects on early literacy development goals for young children, such as letter recognition, phonemic awareness, and storytelling skills. Each staff member is asked to write down their thoughts and ideas on a flip chart or large poster board (analog method). This process helps clarify the literacy skills they aim to support and guides the integration of technology in their classrooms. Next, staff will explore a variety of analog tools and activities that support literacy development. For example, they may engage in activities such as storybook reading with interactive elements like asking questions during reading, prompting children to predict what happens next or letter and sound recognition through flashcards or letter magnets. Teachers will be encouraged to discuss how these activities benefit early literacy and how they engage children in active learning through tactile experiences. After discussing analog tools, staff will explore digital tools that can complement these activities. Tools such as e-books, alphabet apps, and digital storytelling platforms will be introduced. Teachers will have hands-on time to experiment with these tools and understand how they can enhance literacy development, and I can assist those who struggle utilizing digital media or who do not have access to these materials typically. All resources will be provided. My staff will discuss how these digital tools can support language acquisition, vocabulary building, and oral language development when used intentionally.

After exploring all the tools, the teachers will be able to work together to plan lessons that used a hybrid method for all students and staff to reach each module's learning goals.  Some areas of concern that might occur while doing this activity would be access to the digital devices but because these activities are done in school the teachers and students will all have access at the center to the computers and tablets that they need. Another concern of mine would be the balancing of screen time and hands-on activities. I will encourage the teachers to use digital tools strategically and ensure that most literacy-building activities are hands-on. As children become more familiar with digital tools, they also need to develop skills to use technology thoughtfully and purposefully. I will ensure that the staff receives ongoing training and support to ensure they are using digital tools effectively to enhance learning rather than overwhelming young children with excessive technology use.

 

 

Semingson, P. (2017). DIGITAL LITERACIES FOR YOUNG READERS AND WRITERS.Literacy Today, 35(3), 30-31. https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fdigital-literacies-young-readers-writers%2Fdocview%2F1966005551%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D8067